Ireland will take on Bangladesh in what is basically a dead rubber as the Windies and Bangladesh have already qualified for the Tri-Series final. That means, Ireland has been knocked out despite being the hosts and they have nothing but pride to play for in this match.
The hosts have had a difficult past couple of weeks. First they lost to England despite being in a position to cause and upset and then they lost to the Windies in the last match despite putting 327 runs on the board. There was an abandoned match against Bangladesh in between as well. So, victory has always evaded their fate and they would be desperate to end an otherwise disappointing series with a positive result.
Their batting has been too dependent on the likes of Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie and Kevin O'Brien. Out of form William Potterfield's movement in the batting order hasn't helped him either. James McCollum and Mark Adair are young and it will take them some time to get accustomed to the rigors of international cricket. Things haven't been right for them in the bowling front as well. Tim Murtagh has been ineffective, Joshua Little has leaked runs after his four-for against England and Boyd Rankin has been consistently in and out of the side.
Bangladesh on the other hand have proved themselves to be the strongest team in this tournament. They are unbeaten in this series so far and it looks like they will maintain that run
Ireland will take on Bangladesh in what is basically a dead rubber as the Windies and Bangladesh have already qualified for the Tri-Series final. That means, Ireland has been knocked out despite being the hosts and they have nothing but pride to play for in this match.
The hosts have had a difficult past couple of weeks. First they lost to England despite being in a position to cause and upset and then they lost to the Windies in the last match despite putting 327 runs on the board. There was an abandoned match against Bangladesh in between as well. So, victory has always evaded their fate and they would be desperate to end an otherwise disappointing series with a positive result.
Their batting has been too dependent on the likes of Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie and Kevin O'Brien. Out of form William Potterfield's movement in the batting order hasn't helped him either. James McCollum and Mark Adair are young and it will take them some time to get accustomed to the rigors of international cricket. Things haven't been right for them in the bowling front as well. Tim Murtagh has been ineffective, Joshua Little has leaked runs after his four-for against England and Boyd Rankin has been consistently in and out of the side.
Bangladesh on the other hand have proved themselves to be the strongest team in this tournament. They are unbeaten in this series so far and it looks like they will maintain that run tomorrow as well. Both their previous victories against the Windies came by a margin of 8 and 5 wickets. Skipper Mashrafe Mortaza has led from the front with brilliant bowling performances. Their batsmen have fired, Soumya Sarkar is back in form with two back to back fifties and Mustafizur Rahman has once again been seen at his best with the ball. This match presents them an opportunity to iron out any chunk they have in order to complete their perfect three over the Windies in the final.
Weather and Pitch conditions: Rain has played spoilsport quite a few times this series. However, weather is expected to remain clear tomorrow with a maximum temperature of 16 degree Celsius. The chilly conditions will aid movement and swing with the new ball. The middle order batsmen will find it easier to bat.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-Keeper: Mushfiqur Rahim (9.5 Cr)
The Bangladeshi wicketkeeper-batsman is the best choice for this position. He is coming into this match on the back of a super knock of 63 runs in the previous match. He is averaging 95.00 in the series thus far along with a strike-rate of around 100.
Batsman: Soumya Sarkar (9 Cr)
The classy left-handed batsman has scored two back to back half-centuries in the last two matches. Both of his knocks set the tone for their chase in both the matches. He would be eager to keep his good run of form going.
All-Rounder: Shakib Al Hasan (9.5 Cr)
The Bangladeshi all-rounder played a beautiful hand of an unbeaten 61 and also register bowling figures of 1/27 in the previous match. He has troubled the Windies with both bat and ball, and knowing Ireland's troubles with spin, Shakib is expected to trouble them more.
Bowler: Mustafizur Rahman (8.5 Cr)
The left-arm paver has picked up 6 wickets in the series so far at an impressive average and strike-rate of 21.16 and 20.00 respectively. He has constantly troubled batsmen with his excellent variation in the series and he is expected to do even better in this match.
Captain: Shakib Al Hasan
Vice-captain: Mustafizur Rahman
Predicted Playing XI:
Ireland: William Porterfield, Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie, James McCollum, Kevin O'Brien, Gary Wilson, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Tim Murtagh, Joshua Little, Boyd Rankin
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mehidy Hasan, Abu Jayed, Mustafizur Rahman
